Kurt Shintaku's Blog

I repeat:  We are making the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target available AS A FREE DOWNLOAD.

What does this mean? It means you can install the Microsoft iSCSI software target on a Windows Server 2008 R2 system and use it as shared storage for Hyper-V Live Migration. Interested? Here are a few key pointers. The full announcement about the release of the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target from Jose Barreto.

For those wondering, Microsoft iSCSI Software Target was technology we acquired from StringBean Software back in 2006, and was previously only available for production use by OEM providers of Windows Storage Server 2008 appliances.  Individuals could only otherwise get it via MSDN/Technet subscriptions for testing purposes only.  Now, with its release to customers of Windows Server 2008 R2, anyone can set up iSCSI solutions at no cost – especially for folks setting up labs or environments that don’t have their own NAS or SAN solutions, or folks that are interested in configuring low cost disk-to-disk backup solutions.

Folks…we just made it possible for anyone to set up their own NAS solution with just a Windows Server 2008 R2 installation & Gigabit Ethernet adapters!

• DOWNLOAD: Microsoft iSCSI Software Target
  (You’ll probably also want to grab the Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator as well.)
• BLOG:  Free Microsoft iSCSI Target!
  http://blogs.technet.com/b/virtualization/archive/2011/04/04/free-microsoft-iscsi-target.aspx

Just caught wind of this… limited space since it’s a virtual lab so sign up if you’re interested!

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Join AppSense, Microsoft and Citrix for A Day of Virtual Desktop Labs

April 27, 2011 at the Microsoft Technology Center in Irvine 
April 29, 2011 at the Microsoft office in Downtown Los Angeles

Are you evaluating or deploying virtual desktops in your environment?
AppSense, Citrix and Microsoft are pleased to be delivering A Day of Virtual Desktop Labs and we hope you can join us! It is being held at the Microsoft Technology Center in Irvine on April 27th 2011 and also on April 29th at the Microsoft office in Downtown LA.

This seminar offers the opportunity to spend a day with Microsoft, Citrix, and AppSense testing the latest technology. This day provides hands-on, technical training sessions to implement and deploy AppSense Management Suite, Citrix XenDesktop 5, and Microsoft App-V. During this lab session you will have access to a personal workstation environment and learn, step-by-step, how to install a virtual desktop from a best practices perspective.

• Click here to register for April 27th
• Click here to register for April 29th

The Windows Thin PC Community Technology Preview (Beta) is now live for folks to try. Here’s the announcement from the Windows Team Blog:

Thin is “In” Especially When it Comes to Getting More Life out of Computers that You Already Own

Last month, we blogged about an upcoming community technology preview (CTP) for Windows Thin PC, which is a locked down version of Windows 7 designed to help repurpose existing PCs as thin clients extending the life of existing hardware. As a follow-on to the CTP post I also discussed ways to think about thin clients in your environment when using server based desktops and applications. Throughout MMS, I heard many customers express interest in this technology and ask about the timing of the Windows Thin PC CTP.

As planned, we are happy to announce that the Windows Thin PC public CTP is now available! Although the final release of Windows Thin PC will be provided as a benefit for Software Assurance customers, we heard feedback that you wanted us to broaden the access of the CTP, so we’re pleased to announce that this CTP is public and therefore available for all customers to evaluate. UPDATE: Please note -To download the public CTP of Windows Thin PC you must first register on the Microsoft Connect site homepage.

For those who have been following our updates, this CTP version includes some new features which we had not previously talked about:

1) RemoteFX support for a richer, higher fidelity hosted desktop experience.

2) Support for System Center Configuration Manager, to help deploy and manage WinTPC images.

3) Write filter support helps prevent user and application writes to disk, thereby improving security at the end point

More information and resources can be found on the CTP download site, and as always we encourage you to install the preview and send us feedback via the tools on the Microsoft Connect site.

DOWNLOAD: Windows Thin PC Community Technology Preview
https://connect.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/program6810

Prepare for an automatic Windows Update that will block the rogue SSL certificates that were issued by Comodo.  In case you hadn’t heard, Comodo accidentally issued certificates that illicitly represent:

• login.live.com
• mail.google.com
• http://www.google.com
• login.yahoo.com (3 certificates)
• login.skype.com
• addons.mozilla.org
• “Global Trustee”

Yeah.  Not good.  Users could hit a web site claiming to be one of the above and the certificate would verify their authenticity as legitimate.  This would enable them to capture those users authentication credentials and other information they enter in.

More details are posted here:

• Microsoft Security Advisory (2524375)
  Fraudulent Digital Certificates Could Allow Spoofing
  http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/2524375.mspx

The Microsoft Security Update Guide is a valuable source of in-depth information and tools that can help you protect your IT infrastructure while creating a safer, more secure computing and Internet environment. We developed this guide to help IT professionals better understand and maximize Microsoft security update release information, processes, communications, and tools.

What’s included? Let us show you.

• Get to know the security update release process.
  Do you want to get a better understanding of the Microsoft Security Update release process? We’ll give you a complete rundown of the guidance and resources that accompany updates. We’ll also provide a reference guide you can use to develop a customer risk-management framework.
• See how to mitigate security risks
  When faced with a vulnerability, how do you mitigate the risk? We’ll point you in the right direction.
• Understand how quickly you need to apply updates
  How quickly should you deploy updates when faced with a security risk? We recommend that you have at least two timelines for handling security updates based on your risk assessment.
• Assess your update
  How well did your update go? What happens after you’ve deployed an update? What can you do to better manage updates in the future? We’ll show you methods to assess these questions.
• Get ongoing security
  What can you do to improve security, even when there aren’t any security updates available? How do you stay alert to threats in today’s evolving IT landscape? In this section, we’ll go over how you can get better oversight into your IT systems and how secure they are.

WHITEPAPER:  Microsoft Security Update Guide, Second Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/security/msrc/whatwedo/securityguide.aspx

IDC Research officially confirms Ovum’s original study that Windows Phone 7 is to be the #2 mobile OS in 2015 with 20.9%, behind Android at 45.4% with iOS in 3rd with 15.3%.

IDC Forecasts Worldwide Smartphone Market to Grow by Nearly 50% in 2011

29 Mar 2011

Nokia’s recent announcement to shift from Symbian to Windows Phone will have significant implications for the smartphone market going forward. "Up until the launch of Windows Phone 7 last year, Microsoft has steadily lost market share while other operating systems have brought forth new and appealing experiences," added Llamas. "The new alliance brings together Nokia’s hardware capabilities and Windows Phone’s differentiated platform. We expect the first devices to launch in 2012. By 2015, IDC expects Windows Phone to be number 2 operating system worldwide behind Android."

Worldwide Smartphone Operating System 2011 and 2015 Market Share and 2011-2015 CAGR (listed alphabetically)

Operating System	2011 Market Share	2015 Market Share	2011-2015 CAGR
Android	39.5%	45.4%	23.8%
BlackBerry	14.9%	13.7%	17.1%
iOS	15.7%	15.3%	18.8%
Symbian	20.9%	0.2%	-65.0%
Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile	5.5%	20.9%	67.1%
Others	3.5%	4.6%	28.0%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	19.6%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, March 29, 2011

Read the full report here:

• IDC Forecasts Worldwide Smartphone Market to Grow by Nearly 50% in 2011
  http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS22762811

[taken from WMPowerUser – Ovum predicts Nokia/Microsoft will redraw smartphone market, overtake iOS by 2016]

Analysts are increasingly positive about the future of Windows Phone 7, helped especially by the Nokia/Microsoft deal.

Ovum principal analyst Adam Leach said the partnership between Nokia and Microsoft has redrawn the smartphone market as Nokia transitions to Windows Phone as its primary smartphone platform.

Read the whole story here:

• Ovum predicts Nokia/Microsoft will redraw smartphone market, overtake iOS by 2016
  http://wmpoweruser.com/ovum-predicts-nokiamicrosoft-will-redraw-smartphone-market-overtake-ios-by-2016/

At MMS 2011 we announced “Server Application Virtualization (Server App-V)” that is a feature of “System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012”, and will not be a separately sold product.

The importance of Server App-V has become very clear. If you’re developing for IaaS (private cloud) or PaaS (Azure/public cloud) Server App-V is a must.

Here’s some of the articles that have hit the wire about this new technology:

• Microsoft: Next level of virtualization unlocks server OS, applications – Network World article
• Microsoft Raises the Bar – Possibly Beyond the Reach of Others? – IDC article
• Private cloud computing: It’s all about the apps – Technet, March 22, 2011

System Center AVIcode delivers market-leading .NET application performance monitoring capabilities to help ensure the availability of business-critical applications and services, regardless of where they are deployed. End-user experience and application performance monitoring are critical in virtual datacenters and cloud environments.

[taken from the product page]

AVIcode delivers market-leading .NET application performance monitoring capabilities to help ensure the availability of business-critical applications and services, regardless of where they are deployed. End-user experience and application performance monitoring are critical in virtual datacenters and cloud environments. As more customers move to consuming cloud-based services, Microsoft will address concerns about the gap between existing applications and those designed for the cloud by providing unified management across physical, virtual, and cloud environments.

Today, you can benefit from AVIcode capabilities by:

• Simplifying management with automatic discovery of application dependencies.

• Addresses custom LOB monitoring without the need for extensive MP authoring
• Graphical application topology view displays dependency between distributed components

• Optimizing business productivity with always-on, real-time monitoring, and rapid error resolution of business critical applications

• End-user experience and application performance monitoring are critical for virtual datacenter and cloud environments
• Identifies precise cause of application error allowing delivery of actionable information to the proper support team for faster resolution

• Lowering the cost of managing datacenter services by establishing enterprise-wide standards to manage custom and disparate applications

• Distributed web services and outside-in monitoring
• Monitor and measure service-level delivery (SLAs)

Read more & download here:
http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/en/us/avicode.aspx

Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 R2 SP1 provides a comprehensive, cross-platform management solution for the virtualized data center that helps enable:

• centralized management of virtual IT infrastructure
• increased server utilization
• dynamic resource optimization of virtual IT infrastructure

System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 SP1 adds support for Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX, and is the gateway to System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012.

• DOWNLOAD: Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 SP1
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/cc793138.aspx